Newkirk Viaduct Monument

Newkirk Viaduct Monument

The Newkirk Viaduct Monument was erected in 1838 at the completion of the Gray's Ferry Bridge in Philadelphia. The bridge was then known as the Newkirk Viaduct, and a monumental obelisk was erected to commemorate its completion.^[1] It was surrounded by an iron fence on a high bank in the lee formed by the junction of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad and the Chester Branch of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, just below the western end of the bridge.^[1] It is located at +39° 56' 22.20", -75° 12' 38.26" , and is visible on the north side of the railroad tracks from Amtrak Northeast corridor trains between Wilmington and Philadelphia, and from SEPTA Regional Rail trains on the SEPTA Airport Line and the SEPTA Wilmington/Newark line just before trains pass under the 49th Street Bridge.

The 30 foot obelisk is of white marble with a base 10 feet square. The main body of the monument is slightly smaller with a tapering marble shaft on top.^[1]

Currently the monument is in disrepair, is abandoned and nearly forgotten.

History

1856 Drawing

The monument was built to commemorate the completion of the railroad between Philadelphia and Baltimore.^[2] The path of the railroad closely paralled the King's Highway (the main land route to the southern states).^[3] The completion of the viaduct was an important link which is why the builders chose to commemorate it.

The obelisk is known as the Newkirk Monument in honor of Matthew Newkirk (1794-1868), a Philadelphia business and civic leader who was president of the merged company, the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. The first bridge at Grays Ferry, by which the railroad was extended into the city late in 1838, was known as the Newkirk Viaduct.^{[2] [4]}

Inscription

The railroad and bridge was built by three separate companies that merged into one before the line was completed. Each face of the base of the monument was decorated with the names of the officials of each of the four companies.^[2] The four sides of the base and monument bear the following legends: ^[1]

Inscription
Eastern face PHILADELPHIA WILMINGTON AND BALTIMORE RAILROAD COMPANY President MATTHEW NEWKIRK Vice President JACOB J COHEN JR Directors Philadelphia Baltimore Matthew Newkirk JJ Cohen Jr John Hemphill Chas F Mayer John Connel John McKim Jr Wm 0 Lewis James Swan Wilmington WA Patterson James Canby Delaware James Price Thomas Smith David C Wilson Chester James A Bayard Solicitor William Chandler Samuel Edwards Secretary JAMES WILSON WALLACE WILLIAM P BROBSON Asst Treasurer ALLAN THOMSON AUBRY H SMITH Ass't	Western face BALTIMORE AND PORT DEPOSIT RAILROAD COMPANY President LEWIS BRANTZ Directors Philadelphia Matthew Newkirk New York Roswell L Colt Maryland Chas F Mayer JJ Cohen Jr John B Howell CW Karthouse Fred k Dawson Henry Thomson John C Morton Secretary and Treasurer CHARLES H WINDER Engineer BENJAMIN H LATROBE Assistant Engineer HENRY R HAZELHURST	Northern face DELAWARE AND MARYLAND RAILROAD COMPANY President MATTHEW NEWKIRK Directors Wilmington James Canby James Price Edward Tatnell Henry Whitely Wm Chandler David Wilson Mahlon Belts Elkton James Sewall Josh Richardson Greenb y Purnell Secretary Wm P Brobson Treasurer Allan Thomson Engineer WILLIAM STRICKLAND Assistant Engineer JAMES P STABLER	Southern face WILMINGTON AND SUSQUEHANNA RAILROAD COMPANY President JAMES CANBY Directors Philadelphia Wilmington Matthew Newkirk David C Wilson John Hemphill James Price Stephen Baldwin William Chandler Samuel Jaudon Edward Tatnell Elkton Joseph C Gilpin James Sewall Mahlon Belts Baltimore Henry Whitely JJ Cohen Jr Jas A Bayard Secretary WILLIAM P BROBSON Treasurer ALLAN THOMSON Engineer WILLIAM STRICKLAND Assistant Engineer JC TRAUTWINE
Base Inscriptions
Eastern face THE PHILADELPHIA WILMINGTON AND BALTIMORE RAILROAD COMPANY Formed AD 1838 by the Union Of the several charters obtained from Pennsylvania Maryland and Delaware Work commenced July 4 1835 Completed December 25 1838 Cost $4,000,000	Western face Railroad Contractors William Slater John Ahern Beers & Hyde Kennedy Lonergan Superintendents Charles Lombaert George Craig Alfred Crawford	Northern face NEWKIRK VIADUCT Samuel H Kneass Engineer Alexander and Charles Provost, Stone Masons Uziel H French, Bridge Carpenter	Southern face NEWKIRK VIADUCT Commenced July 4 1837 Completed December 25 1838 SH Kneass Engineer Railroad from Philadelphia to Wilmington Herman J Lombaert Asst Eng'r

External links

Monument as seen from tracks

• Kelly, Sara (2002-05-01). "I Wanna Know". Philadelphia Weekly. http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/i_wanna_know-38349339.html. Retrieved 2009-06-06. 
• Spivak, Joel. "Newkirk Viaduct Monument". Society for Industrial Archaeology Car Barn Tours. phillytrolley.org. http://www.phillytrolley.org/SIAcarbarns/newkirkviaductmonument03.html. Retrieved 2009-06-06. 

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Wilson, William Bender. History of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company with Plan of Organization, Portraits of Officials and Biographical Sketches. pp. 296–299. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Baer, Christopher (2002-05-08). "Do You Wanna Know More?". Philadelphia Weekly. http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/38349389.html?page=2&comments=1&showAll=. Retrieved 2009-06-06. 
3. ^ http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/wphila/exhbts/grubel/21early.html
4. ^ Dare, Charles P (1856). Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore railroad guide: containing a description of the scenery, rivers, towns, villages, and objects of interest along the line of road; including historical sketches, legends. Fitzgibbon & Van Ness. p. 115. http://books.google.com/books?id=UVINb9tPkooC&pg=PA115&lpg=PA115&dq=grays+ferry+obelisk&source=bl&ots=jgg52BkjQ5&sig=df4SIva8A16cR7ShgFOm6azBF1k&hl=en&ei=Wl8sSs22EJWJtgeirri9CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1. 

39°56′22″N 75°12′38″W / 39.9395°N 75.2106°W / 39.9395; -75.2106